Dates
Option A: Afterschool -
10 Sessions
4:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Option B:
Saturday -
5 Sessions
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Session Number
Agenda
Resources

Train the Trainers
Staff Developers get an overview of the ThinkQuest process,
pedagogy, goals and implementation style. They review tutorials,
support materials and discuss how to best support students,
teachers and schools.


Option A: 2/23/2010

Option B: 4/7/2010
1.1

  • Teachers bring their prep schedules
  • Select a class to track for student surveys
  • Consent Forms: Teachers and students
  • Evaluation Information
Introduction
• Introductions, History and Mission of ThinkQuest
• Connecting ThinkQuest to Standards and Professional
Goals
• Review Manual, Calendar & Goals: Be successful in your
1st Year
• Evaluate past sites with Rubric
o Score sites
o Write constructive criticism on projects
o How to bring this assignment to the students.
• Contest vs. Curriculum: matching goals through
Standards
o Look at Reading & Writing ELA Standards
o Choose one Standard for respective grade and
write how a ThinkQuest project will support it.
• Discuss Self-Assessment Strategies









ThinkQuest International Award Winners

TQNYC 2009 Award Winners
Option A: 2/25/2010

Option B: 4/7/2010
1.2
Project Based Learning
• Engaging Learning through Constructivism
• Read articles and discuss philosophies and practices.
• Create a project-based lesson to introduce students to
THINKQUEST.
o Review hand-out sheets to guide student
discussion on topics that interest them in and out
of the classroom.
• Managing the Project: tips, tools and support
• Exploring Engaging Topic Ideas
Guiding Partner Approach to Learning
• Discuss teams, the role of teacher as coach
• How to disseminate technical information through
students
• How to explore new technologies
• Student as teacher
• Teacher as student




Option A:
3/9/2010

Option B: 4/24/2010
2.1

Teachers to complete topic survey
Topics & Teams
• How to divide classroom into functioning teams
• Forming Successful Team
o Review team-building activities and how students
can discuss responsibilities, writing contracts with
their teammates and setting written goals for
themselves.
o Discuss roles and delegating responsibilities
o Create team check-in sheets
• Brainstorming topic ideas
o Participate in a brain-storming activity that
explores topics both in and out of the curriculum
o Answer Guiding Questions to flesh out topic ideas
• How to develop ideas that are manageable, engaging and
support the curriculum



Option A:
3/11/2010

Option B: 4/24/2010
2.2
Dreamweaver Part 1
• Introduce Dreamweaver, its interface and tools.
• Create a 3-page website with images, links and tables.
Teaching the Internetʼs Mysteries
• De-mystify how sites go from computer to server to
browser and how to troubleshoot problems
• Create a lesson to teach these principles to students
• Web design dictionary: what all those terms really mean
• Have students create computer flash cards or posters
• Preparing and organizing the technology and process






Option A:
4/13/201

Option B:
5/8/2010
3.1

Teachers finalizing topics
Dreamweaver Review

Site Map for Final Project

Topics & Starting Research

• What makes it a ʻgoodʼ idea?
o Dissect topic and find itʼs ʻinterestingʼ elements
• Making fun topics educational
o What can be taught through (baseball, music,
fashion, etc)?
o Have students find educational elements in their outside interests
• Making educational topics fun
o What are compelling topics within the curriculum?
o Have students discuss areas theyʼd like to know more about Good Ideas that will Scaffold Research
• How to develop questions for research
o Write questions to find answers to at the library or on-line resources
o Have students share their answers with
teammates and discuss possible directions to
steer their topic
o Develop a new set of questions to divide amongst team
Copyright, plagiarism, permissions and citations





Mickie's PortaPortal site
Guest access: mightyproductions



Option A:
4/15/2010

Option B: 5/8//2010
3.2
Idea Mapping & Project Management
• Breaking out the topic into sections
o Use graphic outlining method to organize
information into sections
• Using Inspiration to organize ideas
o Reproduce outline on computer to save and
expand upon
• Turning those sections into web pages
Taking the website from concept through completion
• Creating a timeline
o Have students set their own production deadlines
• Setting up organizational tools



See example of the template we will be using (not a complete website)
Option A:
5/11/2010
Option B: 5/22/2010
4.1
Fireworks
• Introduction to the tools & interface
• Basic image creation
• Adding effects
• Create a button graphic
• Create title graphic



Option A:
5/13/2010

Option B: 5/22/2010
4.2
Dreamweaver 2
• Designing with Tables
• Using graph paper to ʻdesignʼ your site
• Create a ʻlookʼ for their site on paper
• Open 'template.html' in Dreamweaver
• Insert buttons & title graphic
• Create links
• Create multiple pages using "Save As..."


Option A:
5/18/2010

Option B:
6/5/2010
5.1
Fireworks 2 & Dreamweaver 3
• Create more buttons
• Create title graphic
• Resize photographs
• Insert buttons and images into Dreamweaver
• Create links
• Create multiple pages from template page


<embed src="aha.mp3" autostart="false" loop="false" width="300" height="42" controller="true"
bgcolor="#FFFFFF"></embed>


Option A:
5/20/2010

Option B:
6/5/2010
5.2

Teachers to bring in all student products for revision
Polishing & Uploading
• Have students proofread and edit each otherʼs sites
• Upload & Test pages, images, etc.
Tech Support
• How to troubleshoot and when to ask for help
Sharing Our Success
• Reflection
o Students write about their experience, frustrations, process, what theyʼve learned, how theyʼve grown and what they contributed to their site
Evaluating the Product, the Process & the Competition
• Using the Judging Rubric and Evaluation Criteria
o Students ʻjudgeʼ each otherʼs sites
• Peer Review
o Students give critiques to other classmatesʼ
projects
o Students review how well their own team worked
together
• Celebration & Recognition

To discuss if additional advanced session are needed.